Machine for producing thread bobbins



JmL Mw WM-. Fa. N. RGBENESON g@ MACHINE FOR PRODUCING THREAD BOBBINS Filed NOV. l2, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jill i4 A u 4 MW uA/y. www J @wf HMM MEM, M R N RQBENSON f MACHINE FOR PRODUCING THREAD BOBBINS Filed Nov. l2, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATE MACHINE FOR PRODUCING THREAD BOBBINS Rowland N. Cranska Thread Robinson, Dedham, Mass.,

Company, Worcester.

assignor to Mass., a

corporation of Massachusetts Application November 12, 1937, Serial No. 174,195

'z claims.

This invention relates to a machine and method for Heretoiore in machi bobbins it has been deeme titi bobbin by one set of me the producing thread bobbins.

bobbin to shape and core in a separate operation by a mechanisms.

plified the procedur By my present invention,

e by accomplishing all of nes for making thread d necessary to assemble heads on the opposite ends of the core of a A chanisms, and to press secure the heads to the separate set of I have above in a simple set of -mechanisms and in said core.

An object oi this invention is to chine whichby a single oi mechanisms threadv bobbin,

sha

said bobbin in a single operati chine.

Another object is to pro pe, and secures sai -Also in said chines the core oi the bobbin was comcertain extent together with the i the bobbin producing a distortion tended to bind some of the d prevent the free withi the thread from produce a maltary arrangement assemblesxthe end heads on a presses `said bobbin to its nal d end heads to the core of on of said maduce a bobbin with a minimum distortion ci the core thereof.

i further object is to provide various novel lmecifianisnfis `to be incorporated into a machine producing thread bobbins.

The foregoing and other objects oi my invention will be best understood from the following description oi exempliiications thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings whereiiig. i is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of my novel mechanism showing the initial operation thereof;

Figs. 2, 3, i and showing the mechanism in diIFerent'successive stages oi producing a bobbin;

Fig. 6 shows a modied arrangement for holdbobbins in place in the ing the heads, for the mechanism by pneumatic means;

his.. "i shows a mod in which two mandrels illustrated in Figs. l. to 5;

8 shows another modification in which the heads for the bobbins are supported by Fig.

drei; and

, liig. 9 shows a anism shown in Fig. 8.

My novel mechanism consistsoi an elongated mandr 5 are views similar to Fig. i,

ication of my mechanism are used' instead of one as the manfurther operation oithe mechillustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 el I having a tapered nose 2. The mandrel I moves inside of a pressing die 3 arranged concentrically with said mandrel I. A space is left between the mandrel I and the pressing die 3 in which space is placed a crimping tool 4. Thus the crimping tool I is also concentric with the mandrel I and the press` ing die 3. Around the face of the pressing die 3 is provided a head-supporting ring 5 also concentric with the mandrel I and the crimping tool 4. t The ring 5 is adapted to receive a head 6 for the bobbin to be formed. The head 6 iits snugly" within the ring 5, and thus is supported by its periphery in position to be forced onto the core of a bobbin, as will be described below.4 The n, head 6 is made of some suitable material, such as 1`5` paper, cellulose products, or the like, and is provided with a central opening l somewhat less in' size than the outer diameter of the crimping i'acing the mandrel i, the pressing die 3 and 0 the crimping tool d is a'similar pressingand crimping'assembly consisting of a pressing die and a crimping tool 9 substantially identical 'with the pressing die .i and the crimping tool 4, respectively. The pressing die d is likewise pro-l 25 vided with a head-supporting ring lli similar te the ring 5. The ring it is also adapted to receive andy support a head i I in the same manner as the ring t supports the head t. The head ii is substantially identieai with. the head t, and is likeau' wise provided with a vcentral opening i2. The crimping tool t is provided with a bore it into which the mandrel i projects during a portion of the operation. @i course it is to be understood that each oi the members i, d, d, t and t are actuated by any suitable operating mechanism to produce the motions to be described below.

lin order to produce a finished bobbin, a core It having a thread mass l5 wound thereon is fed into position between the two pressing assemblies. io The core It consists of a short tube t of paper or similar material usually used in bobbins. Instead oi having theends of the core M project substantially beyond the ends of the thread mass l5, the ends of said core id are made substantially 45 flush with the ends of said thread mass i5. In l order to facilitate the initial threading of the heads 6 and li upon the ends of the core I4, a very slight amount of said core may be permitted to extend beyond the end faces of said thread mass I4. APrior to the pressing operations to be described, the heads t and II' are fed into position within the rings 5 and I0 by any suitable feeding mechanism.

When the elements have been fed into .therespective positions shown in Fig. 1, the mandrel I is moved to the left in the direction of the arrow,

, and by the action of the tapered nose 2 threads itself through the tubular core I4. The diameter of said mandrel I is substantially the same as that of the inner diameter of said core I4, and thus the core I4 carrying the thread mass I5 is accurately centered in the machine. As the mandrel I moves further to the left, it enters the bore I3 of the crimping tool 9, and thereupon serves as a guide for the members 3, 4, 8 and 9 so as to insure an accurate impingement of these members on the bobbin.

The pressing dies 3 and 8 are then actuated to approach the bobbin, thus moving the heads 6 and II toward the bobbin and sliding said heads over the ends of the core I4. The diameters of the openings 'I and I2 are made substantially the same as the outer diameter of the core I4, and thus fit snugly over the ends of said core. Since the ends of the core I4 do not project substantially beyond the ends of the thread mass I5, only an initial engagement of the ends of the core I4 and the heads 6 and I I occur before, upon further movement of the pressing dies 3 and 8, the thread mass I5 is compressed, exposing a greater length of core material upon which the heads 6 and II may be supported. When the pressing motion of thedies 3 and 8 has been completed, the thread mass I5 has been pressed to its final shape and size, and the heads 6 and II have been moved into position on the ends of the core I4, as shown in Fig. 2.

During the above travel of the dies 3 and 8, the crimping tools 4 and 9 travel with said dies lagging behind them substantially to the degree as shown in Fig. 2. During the final portion of the pressing movement of the dies 3 and 8, the

crimping tools 4 and 9 are brought forward so v that at the end of the pressing operation they are substantially Hush with the outer ends of the pressing dies 3 and 8, as shown in Fig. 3. The crimping tools therefore turn over the ends of the core I4 onto the outside faces of the heads 6 and II, and in this way secure the heads 6 and II to the ends of the bobbin.

Upon completion of the bobbin as described above, the mandrel I is given an initial movement to the right in the direction of the arrow, -as shown in Fig. 3, thus disengaging the core I4 from any tendency to stick to the mandrel I. As the mandrel I leaves the core I4, the crimping tools 4 and 9 are backed away from the bobbin, as shown in Fig. 4. Since the pressing dies are still holding the bobbin, this motion pulls the crimping tools out of engagement with said bobbin despite any tendency for said bobbin to stick to either of said crimping tools. After the crimping tools have been withdrawn to the position substantially as shown in Fig. 4, the pressing dies 3 and 8 are withdrawn from the bobbin while the crimping tools 4 and I3 remain substantially stationary. As the dies 3 and 8 travel outwardly, the ends of the crimping tools 4 and I3 project ybeyond the faces of said pressing dies, and if the bobbin tends to be held either within the rings 5 or I0. said crimping tools will push the bobbin and disengage it from the particular pressing die involved.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the mechanism accomplishes a complete disengagement of the completed bobbin without any tendency for sticking of the bobbin to any of .the elements of said mechanism.

scribed above eliminates the distortion of said core which previously occurred. Only a sufllclent length of core is exposed during the pressing to adequately support the heads, and so when the crimping tools 4 and I3 crimpthe ends of said core I4, there is substantially no tendency for compression of the core I4 to occur and the surfaces of said core are left smooth. If such compression as heretofore produced were allowed to occur, the surfaces of the core would not be smooth but would be provided with ridges and wrinkles into which the inner layers of thread would pack. This would prevent such inner layers from being unwound freely, and would result in a loss of thread. As indicated above, by limiting the length of the core I4 to substantially the final length of the bobbin with only a suiiicient excess to allow for the crimping on the heads, the difficulty described is eliminated.

Instead of supporting the heads within rings such as 5 and I0 in Figs. 1 to 5, other supporting means may be used. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the pressing die 3 may be provided with a number of ports I6 communicating by means of passages I1, with a suction pump or some other suitable source of low pressure. By this arrangement, when the head 6 is fed onto the face of the pressing die 3, the suction created at the ports I6 will retain the head 6 firmly in position on the die 3 until it has been assembled on the bobbin. Of course it is to be understood that pressing die 8 would likewise be modified when the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 is used.

If desired, a pair of mandrels I8 and I9, as shown in Fig. 7, could be used instead of the single mandrel shown in Figs. l to 5. In Fig. 7 the mandrels I8 and I9 would be actuated toward each other to pick up and center the bobbin, and would be actuated away from each other to release the bobbin. The rest of the operation of the arrangement of Fig. 7 is exactly the same as described in connection with Figs. l to 5. If desired, the point at which the mandrels I8 and I9 meet may be displaced to one side beyond the core I4, thus allowing one of said mandrels to support the core I4. This is desirable if the pressure created during the pressing operation is suf- I icient to cause distortion of the central unsupported section of core I4 shown in Fig. 7.

When bobbins are to be made in accordance with my patent, No. 2,097,305, the arrangement shown in Fig. 8 may be used for supporting and centering the bobbin heads. In Fig. 8 the openings in the heads 6 and I I have the same diameter as that ofthe mandrel I, and thus as the mandrel moves to the left, it threads itself through the openings in the heads 6 and I I, and thus supports them centered in position to be engaged and pushed over the ends of the core I4 by the subsequent motion of the pressing dies 3 and 8. For this reason it is not necessary to provide the dies 3 and 8 either with the rings 5 and I0 of Figs. 1 to 8, or with the ports I6 of Fig. 6. As the dies 3 and 8, as shown in Fig. 8, are moved further toward the bobbin, the thread mass I5 is compressed, and the edges of the openings of the heads 6 and II are bent outwardly as the heads are forced over the ends of the core I4. The subsequent crimping action of the crimping tools 4 and 9 produce the interlocking connection 20 between the core I4 and the heads 6 and II, as shown in Fig. 9, and as described more fully and claimed in my Patent No. 2,097,305.

This invention is not limited to the particular details of construction or operation, as described 50 mandrels are adapted to 'IQ end oi! said core, each above, as many equivalents will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. For example, instead of the pressing dies being formed in one part, the various components thereof could be made separately and could be made to move separately. rlihus the rings and lil in Figs.- 1 to 5 could be formed separate from the main pressing dies 3 and 8, and could move independently thereoi. Likewise the crimping dies 4 and 9 could be made in two or more independently moving parts to accomplish crimping in two or more steps if so desired.

What is claimed is:- y l. A mechanism for operating upon a bobbin l which comprises an elongated mandrel adapted to move longitudinally along its axis, a pair of crimping tools mounted concentrically with said mandrel .and adapted to move independently of said mandrel in a longitudinal direction along 3 the same axis as said mandrel, and a pair of pressing dies mounted concentrically with said mandrel and crimping tools and adapted to move independently of said mandrel and crimping tools in a longitudinal direction along the same axis 5 as said mandrel and crimping tools.

2. A mechanism for operating upon a lbobbin which comprises an elongated mandrel adapted to movelongitudinally along its-axis, a pair of crimping tools mounted concentrically with said "0 mandrel and adapted to move independently of said mandrel in a'longitudinal direction along the same axis as said mandrel, said tools each having a central bore in which said mandrel is adapted to slide, and a pair of pressing dies mounted concentrically with said mandrel and crimping tools and adapted to move independ ently of said mandrel and crimping tools in a longitudinal direction along the same axisas said mandrel and crimping tools, said pressing dies each having a central lbore in which said crimping tools are adapted to slide.

`3. A mechanism for operating upon a bobbln which comprises a pair of elongated mandrels adapted to move longitudinally along theiraxes,

a pair of crimping tools mounted concentrically with said mandrels and adapted to move independently of said mandrels in a longitudinal direction along the same axis as said mandrels, said tools each having a central bore in which said slide, and a pair of pressing dies mounted concentri'cally with said mandrels and crimping tools and adapted to move independently of said mandrels and crimping tools in a longitudinal direction along the same axis as said mandrels and crimping tools,

said pressing dies each having a central bore in which said crimping tools are adapted to slide.

4. A mechanism for operating upon a bobbin which comprises means for supporting a bobbin in operativel relation to said mechanism, a pair ot pressing dies adapted to move in a longitudinal direction along the axis of said bobbin when so supported. and means comprising suction ports in the faces o! said pressing 'dies for supporting a head for said bobbin adjacent the face of each pressing die.

5. A mechanism for operating upon a thread` mass wound upon a tubular core comprising means tor supporting a disk head adjacent each of said heads lhaving a central opening adapted to be forced over an end .of said core, an elongated mandrel adapted to mandrel moves it threads through said heads andl said core and supports said heads and bobbin in a centered relation with each other, a pair of pressingdies adapted to move in a direction to force said heads along said mandrel and over the ends of said core and compress said thread mass, and la pair of crimping tools adapted to move to crimp said heads in position on said core while said thread mass is under compression by said pressing dies.

6. A mechanism for operating upon a thread mass wound upon a tubular core comprising an elongated mandrel adapted to move longitudinally along its axis, a pair of crimping tools mounted concentrically with said mandrel and adapted to move independently of said mandrel in a longitudinal direction along the same axis as said mandrel, a pair of pressing dies mounted concentrically with said mandrel and crimping tools, and adapted to move independently of said y mandrel and crimping tools in a longitudinal dibin in a centered position, said pair of pressing dies also being adapted to move in a direction to force said heads along said mandrel and over the ends of said core, said pair of crimping tools also being adapted to crimp said heads in-position on said core. said mandrel being further adapted to be withdrawn to release the core from said mandrel, said crimping tools being.V further adapted to be withdrawn to release thecrimped ends of the bobbin from said crimping tools, said pressing dies being further adapted to be withdrawn at a rate t`o pass the crimping tools and cause the ends of said crimping tools to project beyond the faces of said pressing dies to force the bobbin from any retentive engagement with the pressing dies.

'1. A mechanism for operating upon' a thread mass wound upon` a tubular core comprising means for supporting a disk head adjacent each end of said core, a mandrel adapted to move along the axis of said core, whereby as said mandrel moves it threads through said core and supports said bobbin in a centered position, a pair of pressing dies adapted to move in a direction to force said heads along said mandrel and over the ends of said core, a pair of crimping tools adapted to crimp said heads in position on said core, said mandrel being adapted to be withdrawn to release the core from said mandrel, said crimping tools being adapted to be withdrawn to release the crimped ends of said bobbin from said crimping tools, said pressing dies being adapted to be withdrawn at a rate to pass the crimpins tools and cause the ends of said crimping tools to project beyond the faces of said pressing dies to torce the bobbin from any retentive engagement with the pressing dies.

ROWLAND N. ROBINSON. 

